A few weeks back I had the pleasure of chatting with Ms. Gabrielle Union about her role on BET’s first scripted drama “Being Mary Jane.” The actress was in Atlanta doing promo and we sat down together at Buckhead’s [very swanky] St. Regis hotel.

Initially going into the interview I was nervous; a.) because I’m rusty especially w/ my video interviews and b.) because it’s GABRIELLE UNION. After taking a minute to get my nerves together however I was good to go.

She gave lengthy answers to my questions and sang praises to Shonda Rhimes who she says treated her royalty when she auditioned for the role of Olivia Pope on “Scandal.” She then went on to say that”Being Mary Jane’s” director Mara Brock Akil gave her the same A-1 treatment when auditioning for her program. Ultimately when Gabby was offered the role of Mary Jane Paul, she happily accepted.

We then went on talk about the program’s dramatic (see: gross) cliffhanger and Gabby explained how even though Mary Jane Paul is technically a mistress on the program (stop gritting your teeth), she’s human and not devoid of mistakes.

A few extra deets; Gabby had the cutest white manicure with black outlined around the nail bed. Her hair was very well blended and bouncy. Renny Vasquez did a great job with her makeup; it was like a BeatFaceHoney “sweet beat” with glowing skin, nude lip and whispy lashes. After we wrapped up the interview she said (quote): “Oh you’re so gorgeous”, which I thought was a very sweet thing to say.

All in all it was a good interview and it made my day to be able to have that [very] unique experience.

After wrapping up with Gabby and hitting the tootsie roll (my victory dance) on the way to the elevator, I ran into Sam Champion formerly of “GMA” as I was leaving the hotel. He was very sweet and when I casually cooed “congratulations on your new position at the Weather Channel” (like we were old friends), he walked over, shook my hand and introduced me to his husband. I love Sam Champion…and his husband was very hot.

That was the cherry on top that made that day extra special.

In case you were wondering this interview was pre-engagement…and pre….yeah.

DealAndHeels.com Review

Happy holidays ladies and gents, I wanted to share a review with you of a jewelry and apparel store that shipped me a shiny new gift.

I recently received a necklace for review from online boutique DealsAndHeels.com. DealsAndHeels carries a promise of 100% free priority shipping and features necklaces, pants, tops, bags and high heel shoes.

I’m currently in Miami, Florida visiting family and thought the Green Hoop Necklace I received from DealsAndHeels would be a perfect accessory for the warm weather.

I received the necklace within two days of being told that it was shipped to my home in Atlanta. [Please ignore the ripped box, I was clearly excited to receive it.]

Inside, the necklace was wrapped in cutesy pink wrapping paper and was in mint condition. I also received an invoice showing that the item was purchased and the price [$39.99].

The necklace is chunky and features green and gold plated rings. I’m currently donning it with a simple black top, jeans and combat boots. If it wasn’t so warm in Miami [It’s 80 degrees!], I’d put on my black leather biker jacket to make sure the chain gave me a nice pop of color.

If you believe the gospel of the great poet laureate A$AP Rocky *rolls eyes* then if you’re a black woman of a non-fair complexion than a red pout is an absolute no-go. The Harlem rapper recently broke it down this way to The Coveteur;

“But for real, for me, I feel like with the red lipstick thing it all depends on the complexion. I’m just being for real. You have to be fair skinned to get away with that.”

So is Mr. Rocky correct? Is red lipstick reserved for the Raven Symone’s of the world? Or do brown skinned beauties like myself make this notion a myth?

I have to cry foul on this one, I’m a loyal lover of MAC’s Ruby Woo even though I was once personally scolded by a complete stranger for wearing it. (-_-)

Below are women who are far from fair and still look stellar with red lips.

Black Friday 2012 Natural Hair Deals

Since I’m officially a natural Nazi *rolls eyes* I’ve decided to list Black Friday deals for my fellow militant #ILoveMyselfMoreThanYouBecauseMyHairIsReallyMine girls should enjoy. As people flood to the stores like animals for the holiday shopping start, several natural hair retailers are offering awesome steals and deals.

If you live in Georgia, home to the coveted curlBOX, you’re in luck because the brand has a really cool Black Friday deal forthcoming. An email from the brand reads; “Get your tickets now for our super exclusive Black Friday Sale taking place at a secret location in Atlanta, GA. On Friday, November 23rd, after you have already hit up the superstores for your TVs and items for everyone else on your list, come do something for your self and create your own curlBOX!For just $20 you will have access to products that have NEVER been in the curlBOX before!

I won’t be participating in it unfortunately because I’m poor saving money, but I encourage you all to do so. It sounds like a good deal.

Check out more Black Friday deals below.

Editor’s Note: I’m new to this natural hair thing so I have no idea what some of these brands are (lol) shop away at your own risk.

After scrolling through pictures for the excessively boring American Music Awards, I landed on a few shots of Christina Aguilera looking nothing short of gorgeous. The songstress arguably had the best look of the show that featured glowing skin from head to toe, a double lash, white liner on the lower lash line and this awesomely blended taupe and amethyst eye. Normally it’s taboo to match makeup to your apparel but in this case it worked—beautifully at that.

I wonder who did this gorgeous work. It looks like Priscilla Ono’s doing (Amber Rose’s makeup artist) but I don’t want to speak too soon.

I don’t have much else to say here except that Christina looks gorgeous.

In September while with my girlfriends at the Made In America festiva, I spotted Beyoncé and Jay-Z. It was the first time I had seen either one of them in person and for once in my life I got a little starstruck and took out my camera for a paparazzi style ambush. I got some pretty clear shots of Bey glaring looking at me while I snapped away at her talking on the phone. Jay didn’t seem to mind though and he just looked away like he didn’t notice the crazed, wide eyed blogger zoom lensing till her heart was content. After about three minutes security very politely asked me if I “had enough”, and I replied “yes” and walked away beaming…

Nonetheless I couldn’t help but notice that Bey was rocking these really cool rings on her fingers and I couldn’t quite figure out how they worked. After zooming in further I realized that they were these little gold cuffs she had on each finger. Simple, but very cute and I had no clue where they came from.

Fast forward to today (November 18, 2012) and Claire of FashionBombDaily has solved the mystery. Now that Queen Bey is on Instagram under the @BaddieBey handle she’s been sharing quite a few snaps including the below photo of herself in Rag & Bone corduroy pants and bunny ears. Look closely however and you’ll see those damned rings again, this time in blue.

Now if you’re like me or any other non-celeb, $400 is a ridiculous amount to pay for metal on your knuckles. After scouring the web however I finally found a semi-knockoff that while it isn’t as hot as the real deal, could suffice.

These rings are from ThreadSense and retail for $15. (Both pieces are included) The pair features a smaller ring you can wear above your knuckle should you so please.

Soooo if you know or at least read this blog than you should be fully aware that I’m a lifetime card carrying member of Team Weave. Yet and so, I’ve decided to take a break from my signature super long tresses (My hair has to be at LEAST 22 inches or I’m not happy) and rock the real authentic thing. I haven’t had a relaxer since around 2007 so I never did the big chop. Instead I just wore braids and weaves while my hair transitioned…

I’m currently taking a break from weave (as of earlier this month) and I’m conflicted on my thoughts about it. On one hand I’m excited to give my hair a break and show that while I am no doubt a weave addict, it’s because I love the styles, not because I’m bald like Amber Rose. On the other hand I’m finding that natural hair is a lot more work than I thought. I nailed a twist out one day only to have a crappy one the next day, leading to my go-to style of the moment; a sleek high-bun.

I’ve since found a really cute protective style to try out because I’m either too lazy or just too used to the convenience of weave to style my hair every…single…day.

I’ve taken quite a few photos for you guys to check out. Check out my natural hair transition below. From straightened tresses to twist outs and high buns.

Over recent months I’ve been a busy bee with work and travel, so here’s a quick look at a few recent happenings in my life…

Magazine Covers:

So far I’ve penned my first two covers for Rolling Out magazine. For those that don’t know, Rolling Out is an urban publication that focuses on African-American entertainment, music and culture. In June my first cover story (which I’m really proud of) was on Gloria Govan and Matt Barnes. We actually shot the couple in New York and the day before the story was released they decided to elope in Vegas. Needless to say we had to scramble to make some changes to the story but it worked out nonetheless. My second cover story took place at the same photo shoot and was with Laura Govan. A spitfire, I loved how honest Laura was in answering my questions. Next up will more than likely be a cover on actor Brian White whom I interviewed this week. Woot!

In addition to writing, I’ve been racking up some serious sky miles in recent months. In August I traveled to Miami twice for leisure and to visit my family, in September I attended Jay-Z’s ‘Made In America Music Festival in Philly (which may have been the BEST concert experience I’ve ever had), went back to Miami later that month, traveled to New York in October for our Rolling Out photoshoots with the Govans and then traveled to the Bahamian island of Bimini.My time in Bimini was a blast! Myself and five other black journalists were invited to attend a bust dedication to Martin Luther King, Jr. His son Martin Luther King III was there and we were each allotted time to speak with him on the occasion. I had so much fun networking with journos from fellow black publications and enjoying the culture of the small island. I felt honored to be invited and snapped a plethora of photos. You can see some of those photos and my interview with Mr. King here, hereand here.Later that month I traveled to my alma mater (Hampton University) for Homecoming and took some photos for Rolling Out. You can see those here.

Make Up Forever:

Another really cute happening occurred last week when myself, my girl LexiWithTheCurls and Eboni of FashionistaNextDoor took to Make Up Forever’s Makeup Bag Remix. The premise of the event was to bring your makeup bag and have the professionals tell you how you can upgrade your products with Make Up Forever. All in all the event turned out to be really fun and we got a bag full of Make Up Forever goodies! Mission accomplished. Lexi has a really nice recap here.

So after hearing a lot of hype and seeing posts from other beautiful black bloggers like Mia of DiaryOfAFatFashionista and Brittany ofPocketsAndBows, I decided to buy the Rocco print dress from Asos. If you’re unfamiliar, Asosis a BOMB online U.K. retailer that offers FREE standard shipping and has great prices. Additionally Asos carries clothes in up to a size 22 in their ‘Curve collection’ and is a favorite of Emily Bustamente, rapper Fabolous’ girlfriend, who posts pictures in their clothes nearly every day.

I recently ordered this bodycon dress from the retailers’ standard collection and opted for it in green. It shipped very quickly (less than a week) and I love the way it fits. This Rocco print dress is actually my second purchase from Asos; the first time I bought a printed bodysuit (that looks super cute w/ jeans or a skirt) and a pair of leggings that ended up being too big that I had to ship back.

I posted some pictures of this dress on Instagram last night (danni canada) and got some positive responses so I thought I’d share it here.

Check out my new fave dress below.

Sidebar: Had to keep it trill with the broomstick in the background. Please disregard. lol

In addition to learning about skincare from Dr. Steele-Griffin (she quite possibly has the most impeccable skin and hair in Atlanta btw) myself and the other bloggers were introduced to RX for Brown Skin, a black-owned skincare line. Developed by a Harvard grad, the Brown Girls (Kim and Linda) assured us that the fragrance free products were lightweight and free of residue, a plus considering that the dreaded ‘ashy face’ is running rampant in this city.

All in all the event was an informative and fun outing that included great tips, great gifts…and some really great cookies. (Lemme tell you bout’ those oatmeal raisin…lol)

For more on the Brown Girl Beauty Collective, check out BrownGirlNextDoor’s blogwhere she posted some pretty awesome pictures and her review.